"asdl" wrote in message
nk.net...
I need to weld in a chunk of .25" aluminum to repair
the skeg on my outdrive. The skeg and lower unit are one
piece of cast aluminum. It's an older OMC. I will weld
it with a MIG. The remaining piece of the skeg is
a little bent and I need to straighten or cut the
rest off. I would much rather straighten it though.
Can I heat it up and hammer it back?

My money says you'll have no success by heating, but you are likely to do
some damage by distorting the entire housing. Don't know if aluminum is
hot short, but if it is, heating would make breaking easier, not harder.
Maybe someone that repairs outdrives will chime in.

Harold